FILE - This April 27, 2009 file photo shows California Republican Gubernatorial candidate and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman speaking at Yahoo headquarter in Sunnyvale, Calif. Whitman is severing ties with an elected official who described himself as a "proud racist." The Whitman campaign issued a statement Saturday disavowing Santa Clarita Councilman Bob Kellar. The statement comes one day after state Democrats called on the former eBay chief executive to distance herself from Kellar.

Photo: Paul Sakuma, AP

FILE - This April 27, 2009 file photo shows California Republican...

Image 2 of 3

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poziner, a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor, discuss his campaign while appearing at the California Newspaper Publishers Association Government Affairs Day in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010.Poizner is running against former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman.

Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, AP

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poziner, a candidate for the...

Image 3 of 3

FULLERTON, CA - SEPTEMBER 22: Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman greets well-wishers at an event announcing her candidacy for the 2010 Republican gubernatorial nomination on September 22, 2009 in Fullerton, California. Whitman will vie for the Republican nomination with state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and former U.S. Rep. Tom Campbell. Gov. Arnold Shwarzenegger is prevented from running again under term limits. Whitman has already received the endorsement of former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, who will serve as her campaign chairman. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, the former eBay CEO, said Tuesday that she won't debate GOP challenger Steve Poizner in front of party activists at the state Republican convention next month but will debate him before deep-pocketed party donors in Orange County.

Whitman's campaign team said she will not debate Poizner, the state insurance commissioner, at the state party's convention March 12-14 in Santa Clara.

Hundreds of the party's most loyal activists, as well as candidates for all statewide offices and for a U.S. Senate seat in California, will attend the three-day gathering.

State GOP Chairman Ron Nehring said months ago that he wanted to arrange debates for GOP candidates - including Whitman and Poizner - as a way to fire up the party's base and showcase Republican candidates' ideas for solving the state's problems including its budget, taxes and jobs creation.

Poizner spokesman Jarrod Agen said the commissioner has agreed to that debate. But Whitman spokeswoman Sarah Pompei said talk of a convention debate was informal, adding that her candidate has agreed to debate Poizner in Orange County March 15, the day after the GOP convention closes.

"Our campaign has said - and has been very clear - that the first debate Meg will be in is March 15 with New Majority California after the filing deadline for candidates running for governor has been set," said Pompei.

Jon Fleischman, who publishes the popular Flashreport.org and is the state GOP's Southern California vice chairman, called on Whitman to participate in the convention debate. He called it "a critical opportunity for grassroots GOP leaders from all 58 counties to see both her and Steve Poizner in a dynamic environment."

"Virtually no one on the state central committee can afford the $10,000 annual price tag to join the New Majority (a major Republican donor group) and be able to see a debate scheduled before that group," he said. "Frankly, I shouldn't have to pay gobs of money to be able to see the candidates debate in person."

Nehring said Tuesday: "We're continuing to work with our candidates on the program for the upcoming convention and providing a platform for demonstrating why (presumed Democratic candidate) Jerry Brown represents the wrong direction for California.

"For debates to be interesting and worthwhile requires everyone's participation and agreement on specifics, and that's not easy in the midst of a heated primary campaign," he added.

Poizner, who lags Whitman by double digits in the polls, made news Monday when he accused one of the former CEO's political operatives, Mike Murphy, of applying illegal pressure in an attempt get him to withdraw from the race.

Murphy, a veteran GOP consultant, said Poizner's comments show he is a desperate candidate trying to get attention.